‘I Have Moved On’

PETER KING: What’s your reaction to Aaron Hernandez’s being arrested and cut from the team, and how will his absence affect your offense?

TOM BRADY: I’ve seen a lot of things over 13 years, and what I have learned is that mental toughness and putting aside personal agendas for what’s in the best interest of the team matters most. My job is to play quarterback, and I’m going to do that the best way I know how, because I owe that to my teammates regardless of who is out there on the field with me. I have moved on. I’m focusing on the great teammates I have who are committed to helping us win games. The only thing I care about is winning. Nothing is going to ever get in the way of that goal. I’m just excited to report to camp and see what we can accomplish as a team. The fate of our season will be determined by the players in our locker room—nothing else.

KING:You turn 36 in August. Five years ago you said you wanted to play until you were 40. Now?

BRADY: The way I feel now, it’s beyond 40. I have a lot of goals, and I am in this for the long haul. I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Whether the team wants me, or whether something [like an injury] happens tomorrow to stop me from playing, that remains to be seen. But my training, my nutrition, the bodywork I do—I can’t see not playing at any time in the near future. There’s nothing I love to do more. Whether the New England Patriots want me, or anyone wants me, I know I want to play for quite a while.

When legends meet.

KING:You’re unusually friendly with Peyton Manning. Will you still be friends when you’re 70?

BRADY: Yeah, I hope so. We’re pretty good friends. I like that. It’s important to me. Peyton has two brothers he’s really close to; I don’t have a brother. We’re competitors on the field, but there’s no reason we can’t be good friends off it. There’s not many people who understand what our jobs are really like, on and off the field. Over the years, I’ve taken my cues on how to act as a player and a leader from lots of guys I respect around the league. Peyton’s one of those. He always knows how to act, what to say, how to represent the game right way. That’s how I want to be.